Mechanism for connecting a receiving vessel with a bottom-pour vessel

ABSTRACT

A mechanism which aligns and connects the inlet of a receiving vessel with the outlet of a teeming vessel. When molten metal is teemed into a vacuum-degassing vessel, it is necessary to have an airtight connection between vessels to maintain the vacuum, and it is difficult to align the vessels with the necessary precision to achieve such a connection. The invention provides a cam means for automatically shifting an inlet tube on the receiving vessel into alignment with the outlet of the teeming vessel.

United States Patent lnventor John A. Grosko West Mifllin Borough, Pa. App]. No. 820,845 Filed May], 1969 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 Assignee United States Steel Corporation a corporation of Delaware MECHANISM FOR CONNECTING A RECEIVING VESSEL WITH A BOTTOM-POUR VESSEL 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 266/34, 141/312. 141/346: 266/39 Int. Cl C21c 7/10 Field of Search 266/34,

34PP, 34PT, 34v, 39; 141/512, 346, 165

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,384,362 5/1968 Philbrick, Jr. 266/34X Primary ExaminerJames M. Meister Attorney-Walter P, Wood ABSTRACT: A mechanism which aligns and connects the inlet of a receiving vessel with the outlet of a teeming vessel. When molten metal is teemed into a vacuum-degassing vessel, it is necessary to have an airtight connection between vessels to maintain the vacuum, and it is difficult to align the vessels with the necessary precision to achieve such a connection. The invention provides a cam means for automatically shifting an inlet tube on the receiving vessel into alignment with the outlet of the teeming vessel.

PATENTEU JAN 1 2197! SHEET 1 0F 3 A\\\\\\ V V/// mxx 7 25 INVENTOR. JOHN A. EROS/(0 /im/fi/hA AI forney PATENTED JAM1297| 3,554,520

' sum 3 I]? 3 INVENTOR. JOHN A. EROS/(0 A lf-arney MECHANISM FOR CONNECTING A RECEIVING VESSEL WITH A BOTTOM-POUR VESSEL This invention relates to a mechanism for aligning and connecting the inlet of a receiving vessel with the outlet of a bottom-pour vessel.

Although my invention is not thus limited, the mechanism is particularly useful as applied to an installation for vacuumdegassing molten steel, where steel is teemed from a ladle or tundish into a receiving vessel maintained under vacuum. The teeming vessel has a pouring opening in its bottom wall equipped with a closure which maybe of the sliding gate type or a stopper rod. The receiving vessel has an inlet opening in its top wall. The teeming vessel is handled by a crane which must position it over the receiving vessel with the outlet and inlet aligned before the closure can be opened and teeming can begin. The crane operator has difficulty in spotting the teeming vessel so that the parts are aligned with the necessary precision. Since the receiving vessel is under vacuum, it is essential also to maintain an airtight seal between the two vessels during the teeming operation.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved mechanism for connecting the inlet of a receiving vessel with the outlet of a bottom-pour vessel and automatically bringing the inlet into precise alignment with the outlet, as well as maintaining an airtight seal therebetween.

A more specific object is to provide an improved connecting mechanism which includes a horizontally shiftable inlet tube mounted on the receiving vessel, and cooperating cam means on the teeming and receiving vessels for automatically bringing the inlet tube into alignment with the outlet of the teeming vessel vessel.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of portions of a teeming vessel and a receiving vessel equipped with my connecting mechanism, the outlet and inlet being shown misaligned;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the first step of bringing the inlet into alignment with the outlet;

FIG. 3 is another similar view, but showing the parts in their final aligned position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the parts of my connecting mechanism on the receiving vessel taken on line lV-IV of FIG. 1; and Y G FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the parts of my connecting mechanism on the pouring vessel taken on line V-V of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a teeming vessel and a receiving vessel 12, both of which are refractory lined for handling molten metal. The teeming vessel may be a ladle or tundish,and the receiving vessel a vacuum-degassing vessel. The teeming vessel has an outlet opening 13 in its bottom wall and the receiving vessel an inlet opening 14 in its top wall. I have shown the vessels equipped with a two-part sliding gate closure, as shown and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 781,929, filed Dec. 6, 1968. The underside of the teeming vessel carries an annular plate 15, which encircles the outlet opening 13. The gate includes an upper part 16 slidably mounted on spring actuated levers 17 pivoted to the underside of plate 15, and a lower part 18 on the receiving vessel 12. Plate also carries a fluid pressure cylinder 19 for operating the gate (FIG. 5). Preferably the gate parts 16 and 18 have rounded mating concave and convex surfaces 20 and 21 respectively to assist in aligning the parts, as hereinafter explained. The structural details of the levers 17 and cylinder 19 may be as shown in Shapland, U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,465 of common ownership. In other respects the vessels may be of conventional construction; hence I have not shown them in detail. Also, my connecting mechanism is suitable for vessels with other forms of closure, not necessarily of the sliding gate type.

My connecting mechanism includes an annular lower plate 22 fixed to the top wall of the receiving vessel 12 encircling the inlet opening 14, a plurality of double-acting fluid pressure cylinders 23 upstanding from plate 22, respective pistons and piston rods 24 in said cylinders, and an annular thrust bearing 25 carried by the upper ends of the rods. I connect an expansible metal bellows 26 between plate 22 and bearing 25 to furnish an airtight seal. The top wall of the receiving vessel has a counterbore 27 around the inlet opening 14 beneath plate 22. I mount a smaller refractory ring 28 within this counter bore so that it may rotate or shift horizontally in anydirection. The thrust bearing 25 carries another annular plate 29 also rotatable shiftable horizontally in any direction. Preferably the upper surface of the bearing carries a series of balls 30 and concentric asbestos rings 31 on which plate 29 rests to facilitate its movement and furnish an airtight seal. A refractory lined metal-encased inlet tube 32 depends from plate 29 through ring 28 into the inlet opening 14 and is horizontally movable with the plate and ring. Preferably plate 29 carries a depending finger 33, and bearing 25 carries a pair of cooperating spaced stops 34 which limit rotational movement of the plate.

I bevel the outer circumferential edge of plate 25 at an angle of approximately 60 from the vertical, as indicated at 38. The annular plate 15 on the bottom of the teeming vessel 10 carries a plurality of depending guides 39, conveniently four in number uniformly spaced around the axis of the outlet opening 13 (FIG. 5). These guides have inwardly and downwardly directed cam surfaces which are adapted to engage the beveled edge 38 and which slope at a similar angle. The upper face of plate 29 carries a plurality of blocks 41 which have upwardly opening sockets 42 and cam surfaces 43 above the sockets. Plate 15 carries a corresponding number of depending tongues 44 adapted to be received in sockets 42. Conveniently there are four blocks 41 and four tongues 44 uniformly spaced around the axes of the inlet tube 32 and outlet opening 13 respectively (FIGS. 4 and 5).

In operation, initially the pistons and piston rods 24 are retracted in cylinders 23. The inlet tube 32 is approximately centered within the inlet opening 14. The teeming vessel 10 is positioned above the receiving vessel with the axes of the outlet opening 13 and inlet tube 32 somewhat out of alignment, as FIG. 1 shows. A crane operator can place the teeming vessel to within 2 or 3 inches of where it should be located for proper alignment. The parts 16 and 18 of the gate are closed. Next the cylinders 23 are operated to project the piston rods 24 and raise the thrust bearing 25 and plate 29. The beveled edge 38 of the plate engages one or two of the cam surfaces 40 of guides 39, whereby the plate and inlet shift horizontally toward a position of alignment with the outlet opening 13, as FIG. 2 shows. Next the cam surfaces 43 of blocks 41 abut the tongues 44 and guide the sockets 42 over the tongues,

' whereby the parts shift almost into alignment, as FIG. 3 shows.

Finally, the convex surface 21 of the lower gate part 18 abuts the concave surface 20 of the upper gate part 16 to shift the parts into exact alignment. In this position the beveled edge 38 clears the cam surfaces 40, enabling the parts to shift into final alignment without interference. Thereafter the gates 16, 18 can be shifted to teem material into the receiving vessel.

From the foregoing description it is seen that my invention affords a simple automatic mechanism for aligning the inlet of a receiving vessel with the outlet of a teeming vessel. The parts engage in a way to furnish an airtight seal between the vessels and thus maintain a vacuum or a special atmosphere in the receiving vessel. At the conclusion of a teeming operation the two-part gate can be replaced and the teeming vessel removed without breaking the vacuum.

lclaim:

1. The combination, with a teeming vessel having an outlet opening in its bottom wall and a receiving vessel having an inlet opening in its top wall, of a connecting device comprising an inlet tube, means on said receiving vessel supporting said tube in said inlet opening for horizontal shifting movement, and cooperating cam means on said supporting means and said teeming vessel for automatically moving said tube into alignment with said outlet opening when said vessels are brought together. 7

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said cam means includes first and second sets of cam surfaces on said supporting means and said teeming vessel, said first set engaging to start said tube toward a position of alignment, said second set engaging after said first set engages to move said tube into alignment.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said supporting means includes a plurality of fluid pressure cylinders upstanding from said receiving vessel, an annular thrust bearing carried by said cylinders for vertical movement, and an annular plate carried by said bearing for horizontal movement, said tube depending from said plate.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said receiving vessel has a counterbore around said inlet opening and comprising in addition a ring mounted in said counterbore and receiving said tube.

5. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said plate has a beveled circumferential edge forming a cam surface, and said cam means includes guides depending from said teeming vessel and having cam surfaces engageable with said beveled edge to start said tube toward a position of alignment.

6. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said plate carries blocks having upwardly opening sockets and cam surfaces above said sockets, and said teeming vessel carries downwardly depending tongues receivable in said sockets.

7. A combination as defined in claim 3 comprising in addition an expansible bellows connecting said receiving vessel and said bearing and encircling said tube to furnish a seal.

8. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said supporting means includes a plurality of fluid pressure cylinders upstanding from said receiving vessel, an annular thrust bearing carried by said cylinders for vertical movement, and an annular plate carried by said bearing for horizontal movement and having a beveled circumferential edge forming a cam surface, said tube depending from said plate, and in which said cam means includes guides depending from said teeming vessel and having cam surfaces engageable with said beveled edge to start said tube toward a position. of alignment, blocks carried by said plate having upwardly opening sockets and cam surfaces above said sockets, and downwardly depending tongues on said teeming vessel receivable in saidsockets after the cam surfaces on said guides engage said beveled edge.

9. A combination as defined in claim 8 comprising in addition a two-part sliding gate closure for said outlet opening, one part being mounted on said teeming vessel, the other part being mounted over said tube, said parts having concave and convex surfaces adapted to engage to achieve final alignment.

10. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said vessels and said tube are refractory lined to handle molten metal, said receiving vessel being under vacuum, and comprising in addition means furnishing an airtight seal around said tube. 

1. The combination, with a teeming vessel having an outlet opening in its bottom wall and a receiving vessel having an inlet opening in its top wall, of a connecting device comprising an inlet tube, means on said receiving vessel supporting said tube in said inlet opening for horizontal shifting movement, and cooperating cam means on said supporting means and said teeming vessel for automatically moving said tube into alignment with said outlet opening when said vessels are brought together.
 2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said cam means includes first and second sets of cam surfaces on said supporting means and said teeming vessel, said first set engaging to start said tube toward a position of alignment, said second set engaging after said first set engages to move said tube into alignment.
 3. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said supporting means includes a plurality of fluid pressure cylinders upstanding from said receiving vessel, an annular thrust bearing carried by said cylinders for vertical movement, and an annular plate carried by said bearing for horizontal movement, said tube depending from said plate.
 4. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said receiving vessel has a counterbore around said inlet opening and comprising in addition a ring mounted in said counterbore and receiving said tube.
 5. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said plate has a beveled circumferential edge forming a cam surface, and said cam means includes guides depending from said teeming vessel and having cam surfaces engageable with said beveled edge to start said tube toward a position of alignment.
 6. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which said plate carries blocks having upwardly opening sockets and cam surfaces above said sockets, and said teeming vessel carries downwardly depending tongues receivable in said sockets.
 7. A combination as defined in claim 3 comprising in addition an expansible bellows connecting said receiving vessel and said bearing and encircling said tube to furnish a seal.
 8. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said supporting means includes a plurality of fluid pressure cylinders upstanding from said receiving vessel, an annular thrust bearing carried by said cylinders for vertical movement, and an annular plate carried by said bearing for horizontal movement and having a beveled circumferential edge forming a cam surface, said tube depending from said plate, and in which said cam means includes guides depending from said teeming vessel and having cam surfaces engageable with said beveled edge to start said tube toward a position of alignment, blocks carried by said plate having upwardly opening sockets and cam surfaces above said sockets, and downwardly depending tongues on said teeming vessel receivable in said sockets after the cam surfaces on said guides engage said beveled edge.
 9. A combination as defined in claim 8 comprising in addition a two-part sliding gate closure for said outlet opening, one part being mounted on said teeming vessel, the other part being mounted over said tube, said parts having concave and convex surfaces adapted to engage to achieve finAl alignment.
 10. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said vessels and said tube are refractory lined to handle molten metal, said receiving vessel being under vacuum, and comprising in addition means furnishing an airtight seal around said tube. 